The Popular Plecostomus – or Pleco

The Plecostomus
“I’m a famous sucker! At least when it comes to sucking up algae in aquariums!”

The Plecostomus is a great sucker fish with an appetite for algae – even more so when

young!

The Plecostomus Hypostomus plecostomus or Pleco is a common and popular fish in the freshwater fish industry. Most aquarists know about them and have tried them out in one or more of their aquariums at one point or another. The Pleco is a catfish and is an algae eater. So in aquariums they are commonly purchased as a way to control algae. They are also very hardy and durable catfish.

The Plecostomus has a tall dorsal fin, a moon-shaped tail fin and a suckermouth under it’s head. Its eyes can also roll around in the sockets. They are dark colored fish, with the base being a light brown which is heavily speckled with blotches of both stripes and spots. They can also come in an albino coloring, where they have little or no dark areas.

Most people buy plecos when they are young and only around 3 inches (8 cm) long. Once full-grown, however, they can reach 24″ (61 cm) in length! More often though, they don’t grow larger than 12-15″ in captivity. They reach their total length quickly and live an average of 10-15 years in an aquarium.

The Plecostomus is in general easy to take care of. Provide them with some wood and other decorations to provide caves for them to hide in. They are nocturnal and so do all their eating and activity at night. They feed mostly on the algae growing in the aquarium. Note that they are jumpers, so make sure to keep a cover on your aquarium. Younger plecos are easier to care for than larger ones… Read More